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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24222025">twin blades</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/be_gentle/pseuds/be_gentle'>be_gentle</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean, Pirates</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:41:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,707</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24222025</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/be_gentle/pseuds/be_gentle</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Princess Rey Palpatine, on the eve of her wedding to Poe Dameron (elected heir to House Skywalker), is attacked. With her grandfather killed and her missing, her best friend, Finn Storm, enlists in the help of infamous pirate Kylo Ren, unaware of their sordid past.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>35</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Fair warning: Rey does not make an immediate appearance. The focus is heavily set on Kylo Ren and his search for Rey.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 1</p><p> </p><p>He had heard of the wedding, to be sure. The engagement was short. Then again, royalty had no need to prolong arrangements made out of duty. </p><p><em> Princess Rey Palpatine </em> . The name tasted acrid inside his mouth. Same as the thought of her and that pompous prince in bed on their wedding night-- <em> procreating </em>. He could do it. Run that prince through with his blade. And the next. And the one after that. All of them until they understood that she was to remain untouched by anyone but him.</p><p>But he was a changed man now. A man with purpose again. Not distraction. Now that <em> she </em> no longer strutted about his ship as though she owned it.</p><p>Yes, the sooner they left Jakku’s ports, the better. An accident, really, that they had depleted every barrel of ale on the eve of such a magnificent wedding.</p><p>“Hux,” called Captain Kylo Ren, who gazed out to sea from the dock. “Tell me what I see.”</p><p>“Your ship, captain?”</p><p>Kylo sighed deeply. “Look <em> again </em>.”</p><p>“I see the fastest ship in the realm, the--oh, oh, I see! Right away, captain.”</p><p>The ginger-haired man scuttled across the decaying docks to interrogate whoever dared step aboard the <em> Death Star </em> without the captain’s permission. The man carried an air of wealth. Dark-skinned and dressed in expensive layers, the man surveyed the ocean as though it carried a price. Kylo has seen enough of his type. Powerful men unconcerned with the bureaucracy of justice.</p><p>He gave Hux another five minutes before boarding his own ship.</p><p>“Kylo Ren.” It was the unknown man who spoke, rushing forward to offer his hand.</p><p>“<em> Captain </em> Kylo Ren,” he corrected, ignoring the other man’s outstretched hand. “Let me save you some time. I don’t commission my services to just anyone and I don’t do it cheaply. Who is it you want dead and what are you willing to pay?”</p><p>Bowing slightly, the man introduced himself as Finn. “I don’t need anyone dead. I need someone <em> found </em> . If you return her alive, I’m willing to pay you three kyber crystals.”</p><p>Kylo straightened at that, anger coiled tightly in the pit of his stomach. “You dare come aboard my vessel--without <em> my </em> allowing it--and now you fling these--these fabrications in my face as though I--”</p><p>The words died on his tongue at the sight of three precious, rare crystals held inside Finn’s palm. One an amber yellow of House Skywalker. The second a translucent blue he had last seen hanging from a chain on <em> her </em> throat. The last was unforgivable. Unstable red, almost electric. He’d thought it lost until that very moment.</p><p>All he could do was laugh himself hoarse. “You want me to find Rey Palpatine?” he asked Finn. “Let me save you the trouble. She’s inside that castle waiting to wed the false heir of the last Skywalkers.”</p><p>Finn stared at Hux with a loaded look. With a jerk of his captain’s head, Hux left them alone on the deck of the ship.</p><p>“Sheev Palpatine was found dead last night,” Finn told him. “Rey was taken as well. Everyone in the castle heard screaming but by the time anyone got there, it was too late. They uh, they found”--the man cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable--“blood that may have been hers. Part of her dress was torn off. But I think she’s alive.”</p><p>Considering this, Kylo examined the kyber crystals still held in Finn’s open palm. “And who are you to her?”</p><p>The man puffed out his chest. “I’m her best friend.”</p><p><em>Oh Rey, what have you gotten yourself into? </em> He didn’t believe for one second that Rey had succumbed to some external force.</p><p>“Fine,” said Kylo. “I’ll find this damsel for you. These crystals may be of value, but I do have one more condition to the task on hand. One night with Rey Palpatine.”</p><p> Finn looked quite indignant. “She’s a <em> princess </em>,” he sputtered. “No. Absolutely not.”</p><p> He shrugged. “I didn’t say I would ravish her, I said one night where she spends it inside my cabins. She may do what she sees fit. Might very well ravish <em> me </em>, you know. In fact, stay. When I rescue this girl from whatever nefarious villain took her, you can witness how very grateful and wanton she feels toward her rescuer.”</p><p>Thus, it was settled. Away the crew prepared to take leave of Jakku, their captain as unconcerned as the day he was born.</p><p>Though the man would never admit it, Finn was appalled at the conditions of his crew’s sleeping arrangements and further horrified at the prospect of joining them. Kylo watched Finn try his best to spruce up his hammock, fluffing the threadbare pillow left there by its last owner. As soon as he saw Finn resolve to spend the rest of the night there, Kylo collected Hux and together they plotted over entering the palace in proper clandestine fashion.</p><p>Without any living lordships to oversee their staff, Kylo and Hux entered unnoticed.</p><p>It was easy, from a political standpoint, to see why old man Palpatine was so concerned with Rey’s progeny. With him dead and Rey gone, who was there but a small council of greedy merchants who knew nothing of Jakku’s true needs?</p><p>“This way, Captain.”</p><p>They disappeared into a darkened hallway littered with broken glass and fallen items. The sound of curtains swaying in the breeze. Cries from passersby outside the castle. The library where not one, but two crimes were committed. Allegedly. </p><p>So this was where Rey spent her evenings with her grandfather. The fireplace still lit, tomes of books covering every inch of wall. On the table between two cushioned seats lay a spilled decanter of whiskey. One glass crushed into the carpet, the other still untouched.</p><p>When Kylo saw the smeared blood on the windowsill, he almost laughed. He could picture the way she dipped those thin fingers in blood and wiped her palms across the walls, tearing off strips of her skirt with bare hands. His Rey was clever, if a bit diabolical. A jump from this height was no danger.</p><p>He examined the street from the open window.</p><p>“Hux, come over here. Tell me, do you see our ship from this view? Where would you go if this was all you could see?”</p><p>“Your ship is perfectly hidden from sight. Not a single glimpse of the mast or a flag. But, quite curious, captain, I cannot see Dameron’s ship either. Just yesterday he was docked just there, past the cathedral.”</p><p>Kylo cursed. “Hux, back to the ship. We leave straight away--we <em> cannot </em> lose sight of that blasted ship. That wench is on the ship, I just know it.”</p><p>“If she’s with Dameron?”</p><p>“The imposter dies. He’s no part of any deal I made.”</p><p>They took their stolen horses and returned to the docks, Kylo’s scream interrupting the darkening sky. He punched a parked carriage. <em> Of course </em>. He yelled at his own idiocy, tearing apart every basket and crate in sight. Even Hux remained silent, staring out into the sea, gobsmacked. </p><p>Because of course their ship was gone, a shrinking prick of wood and flags, two odious figures waving back to them like fools. Finn and the imposter Skywalker Poe Dameron commandeered his ship. <em> His </em> own proper ship. </p><p>There he stood, without a ship and without the weight of those three kyber crystals in the palm of his hand. This was no longer a commission to reward himself with Rey’s reaction at having been outsmarted and captured by <em> him </em>. This was personal.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you all for reading!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 2</p><p> </p><p>There were no other ships of comparable quality, much less one as fast as his precious Silencer. The mast may have been broken more than a handful of times, its flags practically rags. And yes, there was the matter of splintered wood. But if there was anything he cherished more at the moment, it was his ship. If Kylo had previously despised Rey’s betrothed on the sole basis of their engagement, he now wanted to disembowel and decapitate Poe Dameron for having laid his filthy hands on it.</p><p><em> Yes </em> , he thought, running his hands along the helm, <em> Poe Dameron would have to learn to keep his hands to himself</em>.</p><p>Now, as he and Hux hobbled about in the unsteady schooner they’d stolen, he imagined what rusty knife he would use. The old machete in his cabins. Or maybe the broadsword that laid like trash on the desk, cracked and stained with blood. A slow, torturous death for Dameron while Kylo hacked away at flesh with a dull blade.</p><p>“Those idiots don’t know how to handle my ship,” said Kylo. “They’ll either sink her to the ocean floor or be forced to run my ship aground. The sooner we reach Takodana, the faster we can gut those imbeciles and take back what is mine.”</p><p>Hux gave him a withering look. “I’m sure Rey would be quite cross were you to murder her best friend. At least spare that one.”</p><p> Kylo didn’t look at him. “I’ll consider it. Hux! Look, it shouldn't take more than an hour.”</p><p>“And Rey, captain?”</p><p>The wind shook their small ship. More of a boat, really. Kylo broadened his stance, his height a downfall to the ship’s size. “I doubt Poe and Finn are the only ones after her, so I intend on uncovering whatever she is hiding from us. We’ll be the ones to find her first.”</p><p>Hux appeared not to believe him, but fixed the mast nonetheless. Within the hour, they saw land.</p><p>Takodana was an island of lush forest and humid weather. Sand silky white. Water so clear Kylo saw the coins littering the ocean floor from various ships' wreckage. He had spent much of his childhood on this island, vacations so long it didn't take a genius to realize his parents had forgotten about him. And when they did retrieve him, it was full of apologies to his uncle Luke and none to him..</p><p>He had come here--once--with <em> her </em>.</p><p>The trail through the woods was clear and short. At the end of it was the merchant pavilion and unofficial site of blackmarket dealings. Kylo eyed it. Actually--</p><p>"On second thought, let’s pay Maz Kanata a visit," he told Hux. "There's the matter of weapons we need to replenish.”</p><p>It was an hour’s walk to Maz’s infamous watering hole. A completely legal establishment that turned a blind eye to the very much illegal ongoings of its patrons. No sooner had they entered the cantina before her voice boomed across several yards.</p><p>"What do we have here? CAPTAIN Kylo Ren," called the wiry voice of one Maz Kanata, tone edged with sarcasm. Despite being approximately one third of his height, Max regarded him distastefully. "Where's your wife?"</p><p>Kylo glanced over his shoulder to the bar. Hux sat, nursing a pint of amber ale, far enough to remain ignorant to their conversation.</p><p>"A man of my occupation doesn't tie himself down, Maz. You should know that by now."</p><p>She didn't unlatch her piercing gaze from him. "I took you for a fool, not a liar."</p><p>He sighed deeply. "A pauper's ceremony isn't exactly legally binding. Rey, as you must know, is engaged to Poe Dameron--Leia's preferred son. That's who Rey needs, a prince to strengthen her kingdom."</p><p>"Yes. A proper, complete <em> fool </em>."</p><p>"I don't need this, Maz. Just treat me like all the other ruffians scuffing your floors here. I need three blasters, of Mandalorian quality, and I'm willing to pay handsomely."</p><p>"I suppose I have what you need." She gestured for him to follow her. Together they descended the winding, cobblestoned stairway to the basement where she kept her rarest, most expensive collections.</p><p>"How long has it been since you've seen her?" she asked, nosy as ever.</p><p>"Almost a year."</p><p>"You must miss her terribly."</p><p>Kylo said nothing. Refused to give a scrap of information to add to her arsenal of accusations. Truth be told, he wasn't certain how he felt. Those years with her aboard his ship were unlike anything he’d experienced. Now? Rey wanted to live a royal life in Jakku and he--the infamous Captain Kylo Ren, purveyor of lawlessness and Jedi killer--was not the solution to her kingdom's instability. A fact they had fought over many times until one night Rey had had enough.</p><p>And she'd left. Forgotten about him. Gotten engaged to a man she would let finish inside her.</p><p>"One condition," said Maz, plucking out three blasters handmade by Mandalorians and an entire sling of fire fluid. "You do not kill Poe Dameron."</p><p>"No. I'll pay you one thousand credits."</p><p>"I said one condition."</p><p>"Make it two thousand credits."</p><p>"Don't make me call you that other name you despise so much."</p><p>"Fine," he relented gruffly, taking the items from her. "But not killing the man doesn't mean I won't injure or maim him. A man can live without a hand--or two. Possibly a foot, as well."</p><p>Maz laughed. "If only you had been a bit quicker, all this would be finished. Rey was here a handful of hours ago."</p><p>"Why didn't you say that from the <em> beginning </em>?" he yelled, taking the stairway two steps at a time, his heartbeat thundering inside his chest. "Hux!"</p><p>They bound across the merchant pavillion, heading straight for the cliff overlooking Maz's makeshift docks. Maz had not lied. Almost gone into the horizon, the ship draped in Skywalker flags veered northwest of where Kylo and Hux stood. Kylo cursed the skies, kicking at anything around them. Once again they had been bested and Kylo Ren did <em> not </em> tolerate being bested by anyone. Not even <em> her </em>.</p><p>"Well, at least we know where she's going now. Naboo, of course," said Hux. "It shouldn't take us long to find her, then wait for her motley crew of inept royals."</p><p>"What makes you think she's going there?" He'd thought it too, not daring to speak it into existence.</p><p>"It's your anniversary in three days' time. Rey was always a sentimental wench."</p><p>Kylo ignored that, pretended Hux only knew of that date because three years ago, he had announced to the crew of their new co-captain: Rey. Not because of two years ago, when they had Maz arrange a wedding ceremony on the shores of his parents’ most treasured island..</p><p>"Looks like our luck has improved,” said Kylo. </p><p>Although Finn existed with the stiffness of regality, there was still a hint of an easygoing nature. Poe Dameron, on the other hand, was a man who walked with a certain swagger and confidence Kylo immediately despised. No man should triumph when there was nothing to sustain his ego.</p><p>They walked completely unaware they were being watched.</p><p>Kylo had had enough. Unsheathing his sword, he pointed the end to the two men responsible for stealing his ship. "Thieves! Get your swords out!”</p><p>Perhaps he was being hasty, but he had <em> just </em> missed Rey and she was going to, of all places, Naboo.</p><p>Dameron twirled his sword between his fingers like air, smirk stretched across his face. "Are you here for my ship or for my bride?"</p><p>Kylo roared and slashed his sword across his face, missing by millimeters. With a sturdy kick, he knocked Dameron onto the ground and prepared himself for the flick of his blade that would slit the man’s throat.</p><p>"ENOUGH!"</p><p>It was Maz, crossbow in her hands. Despite being the height of a child, everyone dropped their swords and turned to her--waiting to follow orders like schoolchildren.</p><p>"Okay. Now let's all go get a drink together like responsible adults."</p><p>They followed her begrudgingly, Kylo and Hux behind everyone. The first rule of piracy was to never leave yourself vulnerable, and clearly, wealth and power didn’t leave much room for common sense. Every moment on Takodana was a moment away from capturing Rey. Once he had her in his grasp--and his ship--he would show her just how ill-equipped she was to run from him.</p><p>Inside Maz’s cantina were bounty hunters and tradespeople from Outer Rim islands, selling goods only worthy of presentation inside black markets. He recognized a few stragglers as crooks he’d dealt business with in the past. Not acknowledging them, he joined Maz and the rest of them to the back of the bar. Maz must have signaled the bartender because within seconds, he placed a decanter of burgundy liquid and five wine goblets.</p><p>“I don’t drink wine,” grumbled Kylo. </p><p>Maz waved away his words. “Yes, you’re much too <em> manly </em> the sip of some fermented grape juice.”</p><p>Dameron erupted into laughter while pouring himself the wine. “I don’t blame you, Ren. Wine is only for the distinguished and refined. A difficult feat for you, I imagine.”</p><p>Begrudgingly pouring himself the odios liquid that, for some reason, always slapped him drunk faster than any ale or rum, Kylo raised an eyebrow at Dameron. “Class isn’t something you can buy, Dameron. It’s something you’re born into, which you haven’t realized, seeing as how a wine goblet is held by its stem and only filled to its center--not the brim. Or that red wine should be aerated in this manner”--he swirled the contents of his wine smoothly--“before tasting. Yes, it should be <em> tasted </em>, let to soak on the tongue for--”</p><p>“Sod off!” declared Hux, who gulped his drink. “I just want to get drunk.”</p><p>Him and Maz clinked glasses, but it was her who spoke with an air of finality. “Takodana is my watering hole and it always will be, even once I am one with the sea. I make the rules here and if broken, they have consequences. This is the first and last time I will remind you of them, Kylo Ren and company.”</p><p>“Look, Lady Kanata,” said Finn. “I just want to find Rey before anything happens to her and I can’t do that if this Kylo fellow kills me or Poe.”</p><p>“Yes,” agreed Poe, eyes trained on Kylo, “I’m quite concerned for my bride as well. I believe she is in danger after what occurred to her grandfather.”</p><p>Maz looked as unconcerned as Kylo had ever seen her.</p><p>“Rey was here just this morning, for a handful of moments. She stole from me, so naturally, she now carries a bounty on her head.”</p><p>“You wouldn’t,” Kylo practically snarled. “You wouldn’t <em> dare </em>.”</p><p>Maz shrugged casually. “Like I said, actions carry consequences in these parts. I haven’t reigned here for this long without reason. But I’m not entirely heartless. Before my best bounty hunters chase her across these oceans, it might behoove you all to join forces and retrieve what is rightfully mine before Bazine Netal takes it. You have three days.”</p><p>“What did she take?” asked Finn.</p><p>Kylo closed his eyes and suddenly wished he could rewind the years to when he and Rey stood on that very island, him explaining the nuanced danger of Maz Kanata. Yes, he wished he could travel through time. Hell, he would relinquish his title as Captain Kylo Ren for his birth name to ensure that Rey understood to <em> never </em> --under <em> no circumstance </em> --not by loss of limb or threat of life--to <em> steal from Maz Kanata </em>.</p><p>“It can’t be too much,” remarked Poe easily. “Name its price and the Skywalkers will pay it.”</p><p>“<em> How </em> are you still alive?” asked Kylo. “I cannot believe they chose <em> you </em> as representative of--”</p><p>“Captain,” interrupted Hux. </p><p>Held inside Maz’s palm was an empty wooden box he hadn’t seen in years.</p><p>Kylo’s blood ran cold. No. Rey wouldn’t.</p><p>“Rey stole the one thing I forbade from ever leaving my watering hole. She stole the Sith dagger you left here years ago, Kylo Ren.”</p><p>It turned out, she would.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sorry for the delay! Due to recent events, I definitely was too disheartened to work on this fic. I know the struggle of reading WIPs so thank you for sticking around :)</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter 3</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn’t that the sea didn’t captivate him. It was as cruel and unforgiving as the image he’d cultivated, and that was his only comfort these days--that he was untouchable. Unbreakable. Then again, he had to be if he hoped to maintain the reputation he’d carried before the devastation of her leaving. Once he had pronounced himself her husband, he’d felt it. The softness. Inside his chest. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey had torn her hands into his heart and changed him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>No, it wasn’t that the sea had lost his loyalty. More that he was no longer a captive to its mere whim.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sight of his ship brought an onslaught of relief. Not for its visage, but as a vessel to </span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span>. With it, he would sail the seven seas and hunt Rey down. No one--and most especially not Bazine Netal--would lay a finger on Rey so long as he lived.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Give the boy his ship back,” Maz told Poe. “You know you cannot handle a vessel of its stature and speed. How you boys even sailed it with a crew of two, I don’t want to know.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a short laugh, Kylo slapped Poe on his back, nearly knocking him into the ground. Poe was a sizeable man, but he was no match for Kylo’s impressive heights and width. In the past, Rey had often called him a mountain. Tree. An ice chest.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s not an issue, Maz. I always take what’s mine,” said Kylo, punctuating his words with a look of pure fury. “Always.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course,” said Poe, grinning. “Without your ship, you’re nothing. It’s all you desire from life, is it not, </span>
  <em>
    <span>captain</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p>
<p><span>Before Kylo could open his mouth, Finn leapt between them and protested, looking impatiently between both men. “Look, Captain Kylo, I apologize for the earlier deception but this</span> <span>time we promise payment if you help us. I still have those kyber crystals. Rescue Rey Palpatine and it will be worth your while.”</span></p>
<p>
  <span>Rey had never spoken of Finn. As far as he knew, she had spent two decades barricaded inside that palace after her parent’s deaths. No friend to speak to aside from her lady’s maid, Rose. Old man Palpatine couldn’t risk his legacy falling into hands outside of his bloodline. Any . . . male </span>
  <em>
    <span>friend</span>
  </em>
  <span> was a threat to the throne.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” said Kylo. “I have other matters to concern myself with.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The other man sputtered. “We’re desperate!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kylo shrugged. “Your princess should have had the foresight to hire extra protection on the eve of such a wonderful wedding.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Actually,” interrupted Poe, who studied Kylo carefully, “she’s queen now. The last Palpatine.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The realization struck him as ironic. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Queen Rey Palpatine</span>
  </em>
  <span>. The title she had abandoned him for and she was nowhere within the vicinity of Jakku. Perhaps she had simply left </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Princess. Queen. It doesn’t matter. Hux!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The redheaded man jogged from when he’d been surveilling the Silencer. “Captain?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Collect as best of a crew as you can and prepare the rigging. We leave as soon as possible.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sun would illuminate the sky long enough for them to prepare a departure. As soon as they left that blasted island, the sooner he could find her and take back the weapon he’d weld during his darkest moments.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No need,” answered Hux. “The whole crew is aboard the ship, bound and furious but good otherwise.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Finn, again, was the one who spoke. “Again, we </span>
  <em>
    <span>apologize</span>
  </em>
  <span> for the--”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kylo, having closed his eyes, pressed his hand to his face and grit out a quick, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Do not finish that sentence.”</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>He and Hux moved to leave the other men.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kylo Ren,” called out Poe. “One day the islands of Jakku, Naboo, and Alderan will remember that you abandoned their queen in a time of need. Should you step on any of those islands, you will be refused clemency for your crimes. Don’t think we’ve forgotten about the Hosnian Island.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hunt me down, should you desire to do so. Do what you will. If you manage to ever capture me, I’ll be the first to congratulate you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a curt nod, Kylo turned on his heel and crossed the beach to where his ship had impacted harsh sand and a violent tide. His long leather coat rustled around him. The hours between them and Rey’s stolen ship were widening the longer he stood on Takadona. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once they were on the ship, Hux dropped the cargo he was moving across the deck. “Are you really going to leave Rey to the mercy of Maz’s bounty hunters? What if Maz sends a mandalorian after her? Could you imagine Bazine Netal </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> a Fett?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course we’re going after Rey,” said Kylo, looking at his right hand man with disgust. “But we can’t be weighed down by two incompetent buffoons. She deserves better than that. So you and I are going to take that dagger from her, no matter if she’s kicking and screaming, so long as it’s back in Maz’s hands in three days time.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“To Naboo?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He nodded gravely. “To Naboo. But first, we need to stop at a nearby port for supplies. We need to be prepared this time.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Thus, they took sail into the waters they had sworn to never enter a second time. Waters that had nearly claimed their lives.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>---</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was preoccupied with cataloguing their new inventory. Racks of salted meat and sterile water. Crates of oranges to stave off their old worry of scurvy. And most importantly, enough chains to tie down the entire crew if necessary. A large, hastily made cage sat just below the mast.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He had sent Hux below to prepare the crew and split rations for the entirety of their journey. If he was honest with himself, this mindless task was meant to claim a few precious moments of solitude. Alone he could properly think of the events that had transpired these past twenty-four hours.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Palpatine dead. Rey, runaway once more and armed with his former Sith dagger. Every soul he’d mercilessly culled onto that blade would slowly infect her mind until she was incapable of separating the dagger’s thoughts from her own.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>If he closed his eyes and kept very still, he could almost imagine the feel of her fingers in his hair and her laughter. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As much as he had denied his attachment to her, he felt her absence every morning he woke up and didn’t feel strands of her hair in his mouth, every time he took off his shirt and she didn’t make ridiculous growling noises. He missed her every time the ship’s cook made fish stew and she wasn’t there to finish his broth. At first, he had resented how easily </span>
  <em>
    <span>she</span>
  </em>
  <span> had inserted her presence into every aspect of his life and lodgings, then grown accustomed to it until she was gone, at which point he’d crumbled in her absence.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The infamy and treasure paled in comparison to the comfort of domesticity. With </span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Rey</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was done living in denial.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taking port in Jakku was no accident. Finn had merely caught him before he’d made a decision on whether or not he was going to interrupt Rey in the dead of night. He hadn’t yet decided if he would burst into her bedroom or slip into bed silently, waiting for her to realize his presence. Or leave her alone. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now, he was too preoccupied with finding her than to decide the ways he would greet her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Without an inch of land in sight, they were truly above the depths that had always given him pause. One storm too fierce and no amount of skill would save them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you sense it?” asked Hux, who emerged from below deck and offered him a flask.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The liquid burned the back of his throat. “Yes. It shouldn’t be too much longer now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hux nodded. “I’ll tell the men to prepare. But captain?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I should hate to think of Rey alone on that ship as we pass through these waters. The last time she traveled through them, she was nearly lost to us.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kylo thought of her body getting dragged across the deck, of her limbs flailing and her scream piercing the sky. Those were memories he fought to forget. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You don’t have to remind me,” said Kylo, as though it didn’t haunt him how he had nearly failed Rey. “After all, she </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> my other half, according to that bloody oracle.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The other man seemed to wither under Kylo’s glare. “Yes, yes, I know. But Rose would never forgive me if I didn’t at least do my part to keep her safe.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hux couldn’t have known what the reminder of Rey’s former lady’s maid provoked within Kylo. He had just seen her two months prior, plump and pregnant, and with such a contented air that it had threatened his own resolve. It was the first time in a year that he’d reconsidered his previous stance, that he wondered if returning to his rightful, lawful role was as awful as he claimed. He and Rey could be together, happy, the name Kylo Ren discarded to the bottom of the sea.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But it was too late now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At present, there was a growing pain behind his forehead. One that escalated so swiftly and intensely he was on his knees before he realized he’d collapsed. A sharp cry tore the air, his or the crew’s or Hux’s he couldn’t distinguish, his vision black from the pain.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And with a quick jerk of his body, the pain disappeared.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They’re here,” he called out as loudly as he could.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sun skimmed the horizon, the sky darkening. His eyes searched the deck frantically, hand on the hilt of his sword in preparation. He and Hux were the only ones unchained, as they were the only men whose hearts were stamped with a woman’s love, pure and officiated. They were the only ones who would stand a chance.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Just as he signaled at Hux to stay alert, he felt the whisper of a melody in his ear.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Human, think carefully: / picture me upon a carved throne / made of teeth and you’re ivory bone.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kylo shook his head, breathing deeply. Refused to look behind him as the feeling of wet fingers gripped his shoulder. A cold mouth kissed the back of his neck. He blink, blink, blinked and ignored the feeling of gooseflesh erupting down his arms.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She was lovely at first glance. If you ignored the bloody mouth and jagged teeth, and the way her eyes betrayed the human vessel she lived in. Those pupils were slitted like a cat’s. They trailed from his face down to his very toes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Sarina," grunted Kylo, hands fisted. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Kylo Ren," she sang, a lilt to the way she said his name. "A pleasure. An honor. A complete delight to find you here, on a ship, alone, without a woman."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A woman need not be present to occupy a man’s heart.” He fidgeted with the wedding band he carried on a chain around his neck. And he repeated the old pirate mantra they hadn’t adhered to last time: </span>
  <em>
    <span>listen, don’t hear--make no promises--do not fear death.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Would she still occupy that heart if I told you she was dead?”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter 4</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As a young boy, Kylo had learned of sirens--with faces so beautiful and voices of melted honey, your first encounter was always your last. One touch and they had you under their control. And there was his childhood friend Snaps, who went in search of a siren, determined to domesticate the legend. His friend never returned. They never spoke of his absence or the conditions of that absence, but his name was regarded as that of a complete and utter fool.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For Kylo and his crew to have survived the first time was unheard of. To willingly enter the sirens’ den a second time, knowing full well what to expect, was madness. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Let's not do this again, Sarina.” </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>For Rey.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The siren licked her lips, slowly but ineffectually removing the congealed blood of her last victim. "You entered our waters without sacrifice--again. I demand my thirteen souls for this transgression, unless you wish to satisfy me, Kylo Ren, those thirteen times."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do you even have"--he waved his hand in the general direction of her hips--"to you know?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He regretted his words when she giggled and he saw the flesh still impaled on her jagged teeth. Her breath was hot and rancid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have a human woman’s form above water, though I have not been human for quite some time. And in all my lifetimes, I have not sniffed such royal blood and legacy in the veins of a </span>
  <em>
    <span>pirate</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I </span>
  <em>
    <span>must</span>
  </em>
  <span> have you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pointedly looking away, he opened his mouth and then promptly closed it. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Listen don’t hear. Make no promises. Do not fear death.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thirteen souls? My crew and I consist of eleven."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Newcomers or old friends, I do not know. All I can tell you is I need my sacrifices, Kylo, and I want it now. I’ve only granted you the mercy of time because of that lovely face you wear.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excuse me if I have a bit of difficulty complying when you’ve told me my wife is dead. She’s very much alive. I would have felt it if something happened to her. I would have known.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sarina laughed. Not like a human, but a shaky imitation of an imposter. “No </span>
  <em>
    <span>man’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> love can transcend time and space. You all are cut from the same vile cloth.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Perhaps his love wasn’t enough, but he knew plenty about sirens to guess Sarina would have dragged Rey’s body onto his ship. She would have peeled off Rey’s face with her jagged nails and offered to wear it while she rode him. No. Rey was very much alive. And he refused to be another victim for her to enjoy then discard.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They had lingered on the outskirts of the channel Ajan Kloss for good reason.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Is it just you, Sarina?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She smiled--a bloody, ethereal macabre goddess. "Join me and you will never feel the bite of human death.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her cold wet hands touched his chest and he struggled to overcome that foreign sting of unbridled lust. It had been so long and there was Sarina, naked and wet and willing. A year and he knew with Sarina he wouldn’t last long. Thirteen short sacrifices for the safety of him and his crew. Surely Rey would forgive him. Surely--</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Rey</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sound of riotous struggle thundered from below deck. Sarina’s attention snapped to it like a whip and all Kylo could hear ringing in his ears was </span>
  <em>
    <span>make no promises make no promises make no promises make no--</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He cleared his throat. "I offer a promise in exchange for safe passage. And when I return, I will satisfy you those thirteen times, as you desire."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh?" Her mouth stretched like a smile slit from ear to ear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let me settle my affairs on land and I will return within a fortnight,” he told her, praying, hoping none of his crew had managed to escape their shackles. “Once we part, I will declare myself a taken man.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You would declare it publicly?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He thought of the gold band that hung from a chain around his neck. Yes, he could wear it once more. Perhaps permanently this time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It would be known,” he answered her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She considered him, a pleased smile on her face. "No other woman would dare lay a finger on you?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No woman would dare approach so loyal and devoted a man."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She stared at him for a second past uncomfortable, then said, "Very well. You may carry on. Just one more thing, to </span>
  <em>
    <span>whom</span>
  </em>
  <span> are you so devoted?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He remembered Hux's nervous expression and pleading--</span>
  <em>
    <span>whatever you do, do not lie to a siren. Do not let them catch you on a falsehood. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He’d already foolishly broken one of his warnings.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"To the one I love, of course."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sarina’s smile dropped and her nostrils flared. "And who do you love, Kylo Ren?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was over. Kylo knew it. Sarina knew it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"To the woman who gutted your sister like a fish," he taunted, unsheathing his sword.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Two things happened within the span of a split second. In the moment Kylo raised his sword to land the killing blow, two figures emerged--no, they</span>
  <em>
    <span> burst</span>
  </em>
  <span>--from below deck yelling nonsensical words that distracted him long enough for Sarina to dart behind him, hands on his neck. She sank her fangs into his throat and he yelled, more infuriated by the sight of Poe Dameron and his latchkey than by the pain of torn flesh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course, he and Hux had only accounted for nine shackles. No extras. A grave error on their part. Not accounting for the two men like recurring venereal diseases. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>mine</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” yelled Poe. He struck Finn with the blunt end of his sword and watched the man crumple into a heap of limbs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sarina’s hold on Kylo disappeared and suddenly, she stood before Poe, her bloody mouth curved into a smile. “Kylo Ren, he’s even more handsome than you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dameron, I cannot believe I am saying this, but get below deck before you get yourself killed!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poe leapt in front of Sarina, brandishing his sword sloppily. “No! You want her all to yourself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kill him, my love,” trilled Sarina.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Without question, Poe raised his sword and together, he and Kylo engaged in a sloppy battle. Poe’s eyes were wide, crazed, his pupils enormous. Each of his movements were brutal but unpredictable, as though blind with rage.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dameron! Wake up. She’s a--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> A royal swordsman would never falter on a simple two step parry. Kylo soon saw the pattern of unsteady footsteps for what it was--an enchantment. Just as Poe’s mind was enchanted with her siren command, his limbs obeyed Sarina without the specific instruction of dueling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your love is a whore,” spat Kylo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poe swung too forcefully and almost tripped. “Take it back!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s an ugly hag with a goat’s arse for a face,” he grunted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He ignored the way Sarina screeched, like nails on a chalkboard, and simply stepped aside from Poe’s vicious swing. Poe stumbled and fell headfirst, and before he regained his composure, Kylo swung his blade at Sarina with all of his remaining strength. Blade cut through flesh and her head rolled across the deck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Good riddance. If he ever regretted how his distraction had almost cost Rey her life, it was quenched by the feeling of throwing that siren’s head into the ocean. Let Sarina’s sisters mourn her and promise death upon him. What did he care about his own safety when Rey was the target of all of Maz’s wrath?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Breathless, Kylo sneered at Poe, who blinked slowly at his surroundings, as though he weren’t lying in a heap of uncoordinated limbs. “So much for being devoted to your bride. Poor girl will be stuck with some indifferent, disloyal man so easily controlled by a siren.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The other man hastily jumped to his feet, brushing off invisible patches of dust. “And why, exactly, do </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> care, Ren?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A pause. “You’re right. I don’t.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It shouldn’t be much longer. Naboo was a handful of hours from their current location. There was no promise she was actually there or that she would linger for longer than a quick stop, but he felt it deep within his gut. Rey was on Naboo. Not for their anniversary, but because on the spot they had stood existed a legend. A stream with healing properties.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He thought back to the last time he had seen her. How foolish he appeared in memory--too caught in the undertow of childhood resentment to understand her perspective. They had just returned from another raid, one where she had impulsively looted the treasury for another kyber crystal. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was something about the soft arrogance of Rey that made Kylo want to tear out his own hair. To see her sitting there, primp and proper despite the filthy breeches she wore, with the level, emotionless mask of a diplomat. He punched through a crate of clementines. A sea of the orange bulbs littered the ground between them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well done, Kylo," she had told him, chin held high. "Splendid."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why is my love not enough for you, Rey? Is this life you've had with me so awful that you'd run back to that prison Jakku calls a palace?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"My grandfather is sick. That leaves Jakku in a precarious state. If </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> am not there to rule, the merchants of Unkar Plutt will gut its core and run its people out of their livelihoods. How can you ask me to abandon my people? How, Kylo, when you </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span> you can join me there as Ben Solo, true heir to Skywalker?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I left that life behind. You cannot force me to become something I’m not and have never been. I'm a pirate. You knew that when you ran off with me. You know what my life is--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kylo," she all but screamed. "I </span>
  <em>
    <span>love</span>
  </em>
  <span> you. I could spend the rest of my entire life on this ship with you but you and I, we are not normal people. We’re royals who were born with privileges that demand duty. Jakku needs me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why marry me if you weren’t going to stay?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Though there were tears in her eyes, it was pity with which she looked at him. That was the problem with her royal upbringing. She knew she was a gem and demanded to be rightfully acknowledged that way. And he struggled to remember that he was not enough.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I married you because I cannot imagine a world where there is anyone else for me. But I'm going to Jakku. Remember it was you who refused to even </span>
  <em>
    <span>consider</span>
  </em>
  <span> returning to the life you abandoned.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I won't run after you, Rey."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She swiveled around. The last look she ever gave him was one of hatred and disgust. "I don't want you to!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Later, once the heat of their argument had died inside his chest, he ventured to their cabins and raised a fist to the door. There was no need to knock, the door was ajar by several inches.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Rey?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wanted to address his reasons for rejecting his royal status before they made port and she was lost to him forever. But as he opened the door, dread uncoiled in his stomach at the sight of the upturned room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The drawer where she kept her under clothing was empty. Her knives were gone. Blaster missing. Inside the closet she had guarded her collection of knick knacks, trinkets as reminders of every island they had visited. It was the sight of everything untouched, her map full of little Xs, that drove him to action.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He ran through the hallways and up the stairs to the deck, where he crashed into Hux.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Where is she?" he thundered, panting as he searched the deck. "Rey!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"She's gone," said Hux..</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What do you mean she's gone? We're in open water, the closest stretch of land isn't for miles!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"She left, Kylo."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No. It's two hours before we're at port. The closest island is probably Bespin. No, she can't be. I had time."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kylo."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No! I had time, Hux. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I had time</span>
  </em>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This must be the way it felt to host the sharp blade of a broadsword between your ribs. Like death was the most welcome option. like every breath was a countdown to the last.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You helped her," he accused Hux.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes. She was going to lower the boat and jump in afterwards. I lowered it so she wouldn’t injure herself."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As much as he would have fought Rey to stay, he knew her upbringing in that palace. For Hux to have restrained her or called him to do the same, to create their home into a prison. . . .</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thank you," he told Hux. He sat on the ledge and looked out to sea. Thought of how she had looked at him that final time. And when the tightness returned to his chest, he didn’t fight it. Only let the tears fall and jagged breaths pull his lungs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a handful of seconds before Hux joined him on the railing and together they stared out into the restlessness of the sea. They never mentioned her again. Not until Finn found them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he sees her, he isn't sure what his reaction will be. If he will fall to his knees and beg forgiveness. If he will yell and continue the fight. If he will--</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If he will hate her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For the love she wrung out from his heart when he thought he had no love to give. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you all for your kind words! Lil' bit of a spoiler, but we will FINALLY be meeting Rey in the next chapter.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 5</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It surprised him that no one had yet voiced his suspicions. Though Jakku knew Rey as the lost princess, survivor of whatever depravity she had faced during her two years in <em> captivity </em>, Kylo knew her for what she truly was: a pirate. He would never forget the innocence she gladly tossed overboard, watching it suffocate in the waters pulling her from Jakku. He wasn’t captivity to her. He was the tether that broke her free.</p>
<p>Until she returned to her prison.</p>
<p>And now, she had killed her own grandfather and was on the brink of getting away with it. Let them believe the farce that she was a victim. A damsel in distress. He certainly wouldn’t say anything to condemn her actions.</p>
<p>But still, he wondered: why?</p>
<p>He refused to admit that Finn and Poe’s presence was anything but irritating to his very core. But when the two men joined the crew in imbibing rum and learning their dirtiest drinking songs, even Kylo had to laugh. </p>
<p>Finn was on the cusp of slurring, the limerick a garbled mess of laughter and rushed consonants. Poe clapped him on the back and through the chortles, said, “How is it that Rey--small, tiny <em> Rey </em>--can hold her liquor better than you?”</p>
<p>Both men erupted into another fit of laughter as Kylo and the crew fell silent. It took another handful of moments before they realized how unnaturally quiet the crew had become.</p>
<p>It was Poe who cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow. “Was it something I said?”</p>
<p>Kylo took another gulp from his flask. “It’s an honor, I suppose, to be in the presence of such royalty. Why don’t you entertain our curiosity, Dameron? Tell us about your . . . bride.”</p>
<p>“Rey Palpatine,” said Poe, waving his hand like she was so casual a subject. How Kylo wanted to break every finger on that hand. “I’ve known her for quite some time. It was no surprise when our marriage was decided. Old man Palpatine has wanted to tie Rey to the Skywalkers for nearly a decade. She is . . . quite a beauty. Smart as a whip too. I swear, I lost my breath when we were reintroduced a year ago.”</p>
<p>Kylo tightened his grip on the flask. “You don’t say.”</p>
<p>“I knew her as a kid, sure, but now? What a knockout. It’s enough not to care that she’s not as pure as my future queen should be,” added Poe with an extra bite to his words. “What with those two years she was gone. Who knows where.”</p>
<p>He felt Hux’s gaze on him, knew what it meant: <em> Don’t make things worse for Rey </em> . Because two years gone, sullied, was one thing in the royal world. Sullied by a <em> pirate </em>, especially one with such infamy, would absolutely ruin Rey’s prospects with any ruling family.</p>
<p>Unless <em> he </em> returned to his family’s islands and assumed his former title.</p>
<p>Calmly, Kylo rose and walked over to Poe, flask still in hand. Close up, he saw Poe’s face for how Rey must have seen it as a young girl. Handsome, yes, but in a polished, intentional manner. Bland, even.</p>
<p>He adjusted the rings on his hand and let his fist fly into Poe’s face. “Don’t <em> ever </em> talk about Rey like that.”</p>
<p>Poe hit the deck, spitting out blood.</p>
<p>The entire crew rose as one, each of them throwing a random article at Poe. Mitaka tossed his shoe. “Rey isn’t here to gut you but I am!” Hux flung a bucket full of water. “Poor Rey stuck with the likes of you, oh I oughta--” Even old man Pryde kicked Poe’s fallen form, muttering a long string of curses Kylo hadn’t known were in the man’s vocabulary.</p>
<p>“One more disrespectful word against Rey,” said Kylo, kneeling beside Poe, his voice cutting above the others, “and all of us will gladly toss you overboard and watch you get torn to shreds in these shark-infested waters. Do you understand?”</p>
<p>Poe swiped a hand across his mouth. “What does it matter to you, Ren?”</p>
<p>“Rey means something to everyone on this ship,” he said to Poe in a slow, calculating tone. “Most of all, to <em> me </em> . If you so much as breathe in a way that questions Rey’s respectability, I will personally hang you in my quarters and gut you with such precision, the gods will consider your death as <em> poetry </em>.”</p>
<p>“It took you long enough,” said Poe, rising to his feet and beating the dust off his jacket. “Rey, as it happens, is a very dear friend of mine. And I’d like very much to rescue her as soon as possible.”</p>
<p>Finn held out his open palm and Kylo’s heart almost stopped at the sight of it. All three kyber crystals.</p>
<p>They glowed. Bright, chaotic energy. Kyber crystals were too pure to manipulate. The fact that they existed in stable conditions was a testament to the care with which he’d extracted them.</p>
<p>“Is this supposed to be payment?” demanded Kylo, too aware of how his crew openly gawked at the exchange. “Is this supposed to convince me to join forces with you two?”</p>
<p>Poe opened his mouth but Finn interrupted him, nervously eyeing the crew, who all still brandished their personal weapons. “I have a theory.”</p>
<p>“Oi!” exclaimed Pryde. “The lad’s doing arithmetic. He’s got a <em> theory </em>.”</p>
<p>Finn flushed at the crew’s laughter. “I think it serves all of our interests--no, it serves Rey’s best interests to lay out all our cards on the table. We will tell you everything we know and you’ll tell us everything about the dagger she stole.”</p>
<p>Kylo laughed. “You’re deluded if you believe you’re anything but a hindrance to Rey’s safety. I’m not your hired hand. Whatever I do is in <em> my </em> best interest.”</p>
<p>“Oh?” Poe smiled, but it came out as a grimace. “Not even if the job is to find her before the Skywalkers do? They are under the impression that our precious Rey killed her grandfather in cold blood to escape the arranged marriage with her <em> very </em> handsome prince. Treason, really. That she’s abandoned Jakku, Naboo, Alderaan, and Tattoine when her signature is drying on the treaty.”</p>
<p>“We heard news of it on Takadona,” said Finn. “We can’t do it ourselves anymore. Not with the Skywalkers <em> and </em> Maz Kanata’s bounty hunters after her.”</p>
<p>“You’re saying Leia Organa ordered Rey to be kidnapped?” He had known his mother to abide by <em> king and country </em> over everything his entire life, even her family. But he hadn’t expected her loyalty to old man Palpatine to merit an ocean-wide manhunt.</p>
<p>Finn nodded. “I know Rey was corresponding by letter with Queen Organa. When Rey received her last letter, she gave me the kyber crystals and told me to hide them. She said there were people who could cause a lot of damage with them and the only other person I could trust with them was Kylo Ren.”</p>
<p>“If I can get to her before Leia,” continued Poe, “I can convince her to join me in court. I was there that night. My testimony should absolve whatever claims Leia is pursuing against Rey.”</p>
<p>Kylo narrowed his eyes at Poe. “And what, precisely, did you see?”</p>
<p>He shook his head. “I saw them arguing. It was pretty heated. Sheev Palpatine had revealed the fine print in our marriage agreement, that Jakku would only fall into Rey’s power once she produced a male heir.”</p>
<p>Like a punch to the gut, those words. The thought of Rey procreating with Poe--with <em> anyone </em> --when she and Kylo had discussed their own timeline for children. <em> Gods, I hope they have your enormous ears </em>, she had once laughed.</p>
<p>“And Rey,” continued Poe, “didn’t like that. I saw her fling her grandfather’s drink across the room. I’ve never seen her so angry or scared because that’s when I saw someone else in the room. A woman, her face was so familiar, I didn’t realize who it was until Takadona. Bazine Netal. She--”</p>
<p>“What color was the hilt of her sword?” interrupted Kylo.</p>
<p>“What? Oh. She didn’t have a sword. It was a dagger and she cut Rey with it. That’s when I called for the royal guard. But it was too late. They were gone and Sheev Palpatine was dead.” </p>
<p>Just exactly <em> what </em> had Rey gotten herself into?</p>
<p>Kylo accepted this information silently, nodding as he digested the details. It was Hux who grunted in displeasure and asked, “You watched your bride be harassed and assaulted yet did nothing? You could not have defended her on your own?”</p>
<p>“We can push him overboard,” announced Mitaka on unsteady feet, words slurred. “Just say the word.”</p>
<p>Kylo remembered the night he and Hux had witnessed the aftermath. The glass of liquor, as though knocked over. One untouched. Torn curtains and painted blood on the windowsill.</p>
<p>“Not yet, Mitaka. Let the man speak.”</p>
<p>Poe ran a hand through his hair and Kylo could not help but notice the fresh scars on his forearms.</p>
<p>“It’s not like Rey wasn’t able to handle herself,” he said. “Like I said, Rey is a dear friend and she’s shown me the damage she can wreck with a single parasol. I wasn’t too worried about her.”</p>
<p>Before anyone could contribute their passing opinion, Kylo stood and tossed aside his flask.</p>
<p>“Fine,” he said. “But once we reach Naboo, only I will meet her. The dagger . . . it changes you in a way I doubt any of you would understand. Everyone else will stay on this ship.”</p>
<p>Poe aimed finger pistols at Kylo. “Perfect. Then she and I will arrive in Alderaan, where I’ll take her to Leia and all will be solved.”</p>
<p>“Whatever you say, Dameron.” Kylo shoved past him, and he and Hux looked out to shore.</p>
<p>The island was in clear view now.</p>
<p>When he thought of his parents, all of his good memories existed in Naboo. The balmy, sparsely-populated island he’d sought refuge in his early days before joining the Knights of Ren, a gang of pirates exclusively dedicated to high stakes robbery. He’s stolen from his own palace in the dead of night, while his parents slept in their suites on Naboo, as part of his initiation.</p>
<p>It was the greenest, lushest planet he had ever witnessed in his lifetime of travel. Its humid weather was at its peak this time of year. It was here that he had wanted to share a piece of his past with Rey, thinking that paradise would mask the trauma of his family estrangement. </p>
<p>Poe jumped, pointing frantically down the shoreline. “That’s my ship! Look at that beauty. Yours is decent enough too, Kylo, but I mourn what you’re trying to overcompensate.” </p>
<p>The ship was indeed visible. Close enough to identify the billowing flags of House Skywalker, the family emblem centered on the stern. Most pirates preferred sirens on the bow and stern, an old superstition where their unnatural visage warded their journeys from dangerous creatures. But royal families, like the Skywalkers, chose the splendor of king and country. It was his grandmother, Padme, carved into the wood, that cut through oceans and realms. </p>
<p>It must have been at least thirteen years since he’d stepped foot on that particular ship. </p>
<p>On Kylo’s ship--earned and not inherited--he and Hux had cultivated an unspoken language. Hux had proven time and time again that their time together was more friendship than duty, so Kylo trusted his second in command with his life. With Rey’s, even.</p>
<p>Hux leaned casually against a crate of apples, peeling one with a short, sharp blade. His eyes followed the long strip of apple while he whistled the notes to <em> yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me. We’ll pillage and plunder, the law put asunder-- </em></p>
<p>Kylo turned the steering wheel sharple, interrupting their current momentum to turn into the shore. He watched Poe speak to Pryde, gesticulating wildly at whatever far fetched story he chose to deafen the old man. </p>
<p>With an easy grin and obvious charisma, Poe was precisely the image that Kylo’s parents had expected of Ben Solo. Kylo had no doubt that with this man, all thoughts of her biological son had vanished from his mother’s head.</p>
<p>“Hux! Mitaka!” he called out “Please escort Mr. Dameron to his quarters for the rest of our journey.”</p>
<p>Both Hux and Mitaka dropped what they were doing and grabbed Poe by the arm, dragging him across the deck and into the metal cage they’d bought before encountering Sarina.</p>
<p>“Hey!” yelled Poe, doing his best to fight against the men. Technique was no match for brute force and the element of surprise. “What do you think you’re doing? Get me out of here! Finn!”</p>
<p>Kylo didn’t need to look at Finn to know Hux and Mitaka had already apprehended him. Stopping just before the metal cage, Kylo crossed his arms and waited for Poe to stop his pleas.</p>
<p>“Did you know,” asked Kylo casually, “that Bazine Netal, before she made her name known, used to go by Ruby? Ruby, for the hilt of her sword, encrusted with pure rubies only found on Island Chaaktil. Mercenaries with reputations such as hers are <em> never </em> without their identifying weapon. Too many fools try to impersonate them for the money, you see, only to disappear without finishing the job. Hux?”</p>
<p>“Yes, captain?”</p>
<p>“When we entered the palace in Jakku, did you find anything interesting about their library and study? Besides it being where the old man was killed.”</p>
<p>Hux scratched his beard. “Well, I suppose I noticed a transcription device. No calligraphy, nothing fancy. Just the simple etchings of letters.”</p>
<p>Kylo paced in front of the cage, turning on his heel to look at the man. “Have you ever met Sheev Palpatine?” Poe said nothing, so he continued. “The king of Jakku has slowly been losing his ability to speak. When Rey returned to Jakku, he was all but mute. I assume they must have needed to communicate in silence, using--what was that you mentioned, Hux? oh yes, a transcription device--to hash out whatever argument was festering on the eve of your precious, lovely wedding. There was nothing for you to see but Rey and her grandfather exchanging notes like naughty school children under a watchful eye.”</p>
<p>“I never said--”</p>
<p>“Did you know Bazine Netal uses Rishi eel ink? That kind of substance is messy. Leaves marks everywhere. Did we see any in the library?”</p>
<p>“Not a trace,” answered Hux.</p>
<p>Kylo surveyed the man in the cage, saw his replacement in all his potential glory, as his parents must have seen him. “I cannot prove this, but I am convinced of it. You will remain in this cage until I see fit. Rey will tell me everything I need to know about you and whatever insidious motives you may carry. Until she forfeits your innocence, you are as good as dead.”</p>
<p>“Kylo--I mean, <em> Captain </em>Kylo Ren,” argued Finn, not bothering to fight the men holding him, “there is no backhanded treachery. All I have wanted is Rey’s safe return. Poe has nothing to make me believe otherwise, and I resent this treatment of us!”</p>
<p>Kylo only narrowed his eyes at Poe. “And who, exactly, told you of Rey’s familiarity with me? Was it you, Finn?”</p>
<p>“Of course not! Rey trusted me with her secrets and I would sooner betray my own life. Poe already knew about”--Finn leaned in, as though to whisper--“about the . . . <em> history </em>.”</p>
<p>Kylo ignored him. “Well, Dameron?”</p>
<p>Rey’s upbringing was spent in isolation, surrounded only by her grandfather’s narrow minded opinions. He, on the other hand, spent his childhood in political circles fraught with long term, calculated betrayal, forcing him never to trust a single soul--until he fled his family’s islands and found people without the insatiable thirst for power. </p>
<p>“Your mother,” said Poe, wearing a peculiar expression, “must be so proud of the man you have become--a criminal controlled by paranoia and by jealousy.”</p>
<p>He schooled his features into indifference but swallowed, ignoring the way his stomach clenched. <em> Your mother. Your mother. Your mother. </em> The ship no longer swayed, the crew having tethered it to shore. <em> A criminal. A criminal. A criminal. </em> There was something he had never had the chance to tell Rey, that for all of her efforts and pleading to assume his former royal title, <em> he couldn’t go home </em>. </p>
<p>There was no home to return to when they would sooner arrest than accept him.</p>
<p>Leaving the scene, he walked the plank and leapt onto shore. He trudged through the shallow waters until reaching the underside of a cave only few knew of.</p>
<p>It was dark. Wet from the rising tide.</p>
<p>Almost one year to the day since they'd last entered together, Maz trailing behind them with glasses and a pint of liquor. A flimsy ceremony compared to the life Rey had led. No wedding garb or rings. Just each other and their promises.</p>
<p>From the distance he saw her, saw the swish of her hair as she walked across the cave. The sway of those hips. Despite the distance and the year between them, he knew exactly how she'd feel in his hands. On his mouth. Gods, if he had a single weakness, it was her, and now he knew he wasn't able to part from her a second time.</p>
<p>It was a truth he clung to as he crossed the sand, feeling a different type of darkness seep into him.</p>
<p>That cold, dead scrap of his soul that he couldn’t erase vibrated, like a guitar string that’s been plucked. Kylo Ren could put down the dagger, but he couldn’t walk away from the beating of its . . . pulse . . . the rustling . . . the sweet slur of words, indistinguishable and irresistible . . . </p>
<p>The whispering.</p>
<p>All of the filthy things he’d ever done sang to the last pieces of soul he hadn’t sullied beyond salvaging. He had dirted his hands in the past but they were clean now. Too clean. Clenching and unclenching his fists, he stalked across the shallow beach to where it called for him. The dagger’s rightful owner.</p>
<p>Oh how it whispered.</p>
<p>How stupid he had been. To ever let it go. To have forgotten that like calls to like, and nothing had ever called to him the way that dagger did. To cull a soul onto its slim blade. Feed it and it would feed him power. Precision. What he lacked, it would replenish.</p>
<p>Yet <em> she </em> carried it. Held it in her hand, gripped its handle like it belonged to <em> her </em>. Even as he crossed the distance, he could see the glint of yellow in her eyes. He knew what it meant -- that she had already culled power into the blade and the dagger had repaid the favor. </p>
<p>He could kill her for it.</p>
<p>She deserved it. She <em> knew </em> what that dagger meant -- knew it was <em> his </em>. Forged from his own blood and cast with his own cursed soul.</p>
<p>Standing several yards from her, he struggled. That nasty ringing of his soul was so loud, so persuasive, he almost didn’t see her. See the soft curve of her mouth or the wisps of hair that escaped her buns.</p>
<p>
  <em> Touch me. Take me. Taste me. </em>
</p>
<p>Only this time it was <em> her </em> voice he heard. Whispers of their past. Memories that spoke softly into his ear. But they were not quite as loud as the Sith way.</p>
<p>She shook her head and blinked furiously as though through a fog. “Kylo?”</p>
<p>Already a servant to the Sith blade. Yes, he most certainly could slit her slim, pretty neck and reclaim what she had taken.</p>
<p>All he had to do was listen.</p>
<p><em> Kill her </em>.</p>
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